The present invention refers to a device for automatic preparation of mixed and non-mixed beverages, such as alcoholic-and non-alcoholic cocktails.
It is known that in public establishments, such as discotheques, pubs, music bar-rooms, etc., the customers are served alcoholic or non-alcoholic cocktails or other similar beverages, either mixed and non-mixed, hereinafter referred to, for reasons of simplicity, as xe2x80x9cmixed beveragesxe2x80x9d.
This service is generally performed by a specialized waiter or bartender, who carries out manually the traditional operations for the preparation of the beverage that has been ordered, such as: choice of the most suitable glass for the type of cocktail to be prepared, possible addition of ice, handling of the bottles containing the basic ingredients for the cocktail, manual dosing using possible dosers, possible manual mixing or shaking of the cocktail, and possible final garnishing of the cocktail which is to be served to the customer.
Such operations as the ones described above of course require a fair amount of manual skill, accurate dosing, as well as a certain amount of time to be carried out. As a result, there may occur delays in serving the customers, with consequent possible loss of patience and dissatisfaction of the latter, above all in the case where the premises are very crowded, and there may be some waste in dosing the ingredients.
An attempt to solve this problem has been made by proposing a machine equipped with a plurality of tanks containing the ingredients to be mixed and a plurality of pipes for conveying, under pressure, these ingredients into a glass. Associated to each one of said pipes is a dosing valve, and both the elements for conveying the individual ingredients and the dosing valves are controlled by an appropriate program that operates the machine in such a way as to produce a mixed beverage corresponding to the choice made by the customer.
Although a system of this kind automates preparation of cocktails, it is particularly unsatisfactory for at least the reasons explained in what follows.
In the first place, the structure consisting of the numerous pipes for feeding the ingredients is particularly complex and costly, both as regards installing it on the machine and as regards keeping it clean and operating efficiently.
In the second place, the said machine basically reproduces the operating and aesthetic characteristics of traditional coffee-vending machines that are generally present in offices, this being an aspect that limits the possibility of them being used in smart or trendy establishments.
The purpose of the present invention is therefore to create a device for the preparation of mixed and non-mixed beverages that does not require any intervention on the part of the operator beyond the choice of the desired type of cocktail.
A further purpose of the invention is to create a device that presents a structure such as to represent an attractive element for the clientele.
These and other purposes are achieved by a device for automatic preparation of mixed and non-mixed beverages, according to claim 1, to which the reader is referred for reasons of brevity.
Advantageously, the device according to the invention enables automatic preparation of mixed and non-mixed beverages in public establishments, such as discotheques, pubs, music bar-rooms, etc. This is obtained, upon customer request, without any human intervention and in a fast and effective way. Possibly, if so desired and for certain preparations of cocktails, a bartender may manually shake a container of a shaker type containing the beverage previously mixed by the device of the invention, before serving it to the customer.
Consequently, long waiting times at the bar are avoided in the case where the premises are crowded, and in any case there is an orderly sequence of access to the device and of operations required for the preparation and serving of the cocktail.
Owing to its versatility, the device according to the invention also enables serving of non-mixed beverages, such as non-alcoholic beverages or beer.
In addition, the device according to the invention, owing to its peculiar rotary-head structure, which is designed also to serve as an element of attraction and appeal, lends itself in an ideal way to being used in the widest variety of public establishments, in particular, but not exclusively, in establishments frequented by young people or in trendy establishments.
Further purposes and advantages of the present invention will emerge clearly from the ensuing description and from the annexed drawings, which are provided purely to give explanatory and non-limiting example, and in which: